Safety latch for bouchon grenade fuze



March 25, 1969 A. SAMUEL BERLIN ET AL 3,434,421

SAFETY LATCH FOR BOUCHON GRENADE FUZE Filed Sept. 5, 1967 INVENTORS Aaron 8. Berlin Vincent 6. Little Toney E. Leadore Edw/n Jjeid, Jr. 5 M. Ma. 4 rromvsrs United States Patent 3,434,421 SAFETY LATCH FOR BOUCHON GRENADE FUZE A. Samuel Berlin, Wilmington, Del., and Vincent C. Little, Fullerton, Toney E. Leadore, Havre de Grace, and Edwin J. Reid, Jr., Street, Md., assignors to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army 1 Filed Sept. 5, 1967, Ser. No. 665,948 Int. Cl. F42b 27/00 US. Cl. 102-64 16 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device for arming an ordnance weapon comprising: a tubular fuze body, primer means, spring loaded firing pin assembly, said spring with transverse hollow center in alignment with receiving holes in said fuze body, externally disposed safety lever, delay element, detonator, cylindrical body reciprocally mounted for sliding movement through said receiving holes and said transverse hollow center of said spring, a first safe arming device and second safe arming device serially to said first safe arming device.

The weapon can be armed only upon the proper manual positioning of the above first and second arming devices.

The invention described herein may be manufactured, used, and licensed by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment to us of any royalty thereon.

This invention is directed to a new fuze for hand grenades.

The object of the invention is to provide a fuze with safety release devices for arming the grenade.

A further object of the invention is to provide a fuze with a slidable member which is reliable in operation and can be manually positioned either in the unarmed or armed position at the discretion of the thrower.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a fuze which shall comprise a mechanical retaining means for the safety means which is not responsive to ordinary shock.

It is another object of the present invention to provide the arming of the grenade only by the positive action of the personnel. To provide maximum safety, the percussion firing mechanism of the grenade is in an inactive position and only by the proper positioning of the slidable member can the grenade be armed for detonation.

The prior art fuze as shown in FIGURE 1, comprises a die case body 1 fitted with a fuze body adapter 3 with a safety lever 2 locked by a safety pin 12 with its pull ring not illustrated restraining the cocked firing pin assembly 16 attached to said body by the striker hinge pin 5 and powered by a torsion spring 14 which is transversely positioned circumferentially to the said hinge pin. A percussion primer 18 is positioned above the delay column 7 which is positioned above the detonator or igniter 9. When assembled in the grenade, the fuze is actuated by grasping the safety lever 2 and the safety pin 12 is withdrawn and the grenade is thrown. When the grenade is hurled, the torsion spring 14 swings the firing pin assembly 16 against the safety lever 2 forcing it to separate from the grenade allowing the said pin assembly to strike the primer 18 to fire it. The latter activates the delay column 7 which burns uniformly until it flashes into the detonator 9 which explodes the fill of the grenade.

Hand grenades are one of the oldest forms in which explosives have been fashioned into instruments of offensive or defensive combat. The body of the grenade generally and as is in accordance with this invention may be fabricated from metal such as iron, zinc, any suitable alloy, or plastic composition, and the cavity contained in "ice the body is filled with a suitable high explosive, illuminating or smoke generating agents.

The payload or fill of the grenade depends upon its ultimate use, for example, explosive or chemical. In the explosive grenade, a high explosive payload is utilized for the projection of high velocity metal fragments and blast. In the chemical grenade, the instant and harassing agents may be chloroacetophenone, diphenylaminechloroarsine or o-chlorobenzylidenemalonitrile; the incendiary agents may be either thermit which is black iron oxide mixed with aluminum or White phosphorus; the smoke fill for screening and signalling may be white as white phosphorus or colored phosphorus using red, green, or yellow dye.

Grenades of the prior art utilizing a safety pin device have long been considered very dangerous and have ac counted for a great many self-inflicted casualties among the troops. There are many reasons for this; one being that the grenade thrower, upon removal of the safety pin, must now hurl the grenade; this is so since the firing pin assembly is held in its inactive position only by the pressure of the throwers hand against the safety lever, and the soldier is told not to replace the safety pin in order to return the grenade to a safe position, the second one being the safety lever, a compression member, a long slender metal body extending substantially to the bottom of the grenade body, catches on branches of trees and shrubbery breaking off the safety lever, thus causing detonation and self-injury; the third being a grenade may accidentally drop to the ground after the safety pin has been removed and there is no way to inactivate this armed grenade.

An investigation was instituted to discover how to secure maximum safety without imparting the efliciency of the soldier under combat conditions. There are several essential requisites which must be met in order that the end product has the appropriate ballistic requirements. The size and weight of the grenade could not be changed since the overall usefulness of this munition depends upon its ability to be hand thrown with the optimal accuracy. The munition must be rugged enough to withstand fabrication, packaging reasonable period at a ready state in combat where it is subject to all kinds of hard usage and exposure. There must be no premature functioning and the arming the munition be simple and direct.

In the course of our investigation, the concept emerged of utilizing a slidable member as a manual secondary safe arming device serially to the first arming device of cotter pin, whereby the weapon is armed only when both safe arming devices are in proper relation, assuring maximum safety for triggering the detonation train. The unexpected and unobvious results of our development was that even in the event the safety lever was broken off, the grenade was not armed as is experienced with the prior art use of the safety pin and pull ring design and, in addition, the combat soldier having armed the munition can change his mind and unarm the munition by the proper positioning of the slidable member. The slidable device of this invention is invaluable to unarm the munition, if necessary, under the cover of darkness or blackout.

Another unexpected result of this invention is the complete safety for the personnel in the insertion and removal of the munition in the tubular dispensers of the Bomb Dispensers SUU-7 type and SUU-14 type disclosed in the Department of the Army Technical Manuals (TM 9- 1325208l5, TM 94325-209-15). Utilizing the prior art arming fuze, FIGURE 1, the safety pin assembly is removed and the hand clasps the safety lever in order to maintain its attachment to the munition which is positioned into the tubular member of the said dispensers. The safety lever is in frictional contact with the interior walls of the said tubular member, and the grenade, under this contact, is in an armed state and readily ejected for detonation. In the event the mission is aborted, the removal of the munition from the tubular member requires great skill preventing detonation and necessitates applying manual pressure upon the safety lever thus maintaining the firing pin assembly in a cocked position, and upon complete removal of the munition, the hand clasps the said lever with the reinsertion of the safety pin assembly for unarming. Utilizing the slidable safety member, after removal of the cotter pin assembly, of our invention does not require great skill or dexterity for the insertion or removal of the munition in reference to the above dispensers. Upon withdrawal of the cotter pin assembly, the slidable safety member being contiguous to the safety lever, FIGURES 2 to 8, the latter cannot separate from the munition body, and thus the munition is positioned in the dispenser in an unarmed state. The munition is now armed by removing the safety lip from contact with the safety lever. For removal of the munition in the undetonated state, the safety lip is returned to its contiguous position with the said lever, and the munition is removed from the said dispenser without any manual pressure on said lever, and there is no danger of separation of the said lever from the munition.

The safety right angle locking devices of this invention can be utilized in every munition employing the Bouchon type fuze assembly.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more clearly apparent in the course of the following description of certain embodiments thereof, illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical axial section through the prior art fuze body these being shown in their normal locked position.

FIGURE 2, substantially similar to FIGURE 6, illustrating the right angle safety bolts attachment to the fuze head.

FIGURE 3, similar to FIGURE 2, illustrating another embodiment of the right angle safety bolt.

FIGURE 4 illustrates the right angle locking device of this invention.

FIGURE 5 is an alternate constructive embodiment of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of an assembled hand grenade showing the safety devices of this invention.

FIGURE 7 is a side elevation of the fuze head showing the safety or locking devices when the parts are in their normal locked position corresponding to FIGURE 6.

FIGURE 8, substantially similar to FIGURE 7, showing the parts of the fuze head after it has been unlocked with the safety lever removed and the instant before the firing pin has moved to impact the primer.

The safety device of FIGURE 4 illustrates the locking means comprising a right angle bolt 22 with an overhanging locking lip 8, fastened at the end of a slidable cylindical body 4 with means for receiving a cotter pin 12 with attached pull ring 10.

The safety device of FIGURE 5 illustrates a modification of FIGURE 4 of a right angle bolt 22 fastened at the end of a slidable cylindrical body 4, said bolt comprising an overhanging locking lip 8 with an extension or tail means 20 bent outwardly and downwardly from the general plane of the said locking lip 8 to form a catch shoulder 20 for engagement with the section of the safety lever 2 covering the firing pin assembly area as illustrated in FIGURE 3.

The use of the constructive embodiment of FIGURE 5 is similar in operation and assembly of the safety devices of FIGURES 2-4 and 6-8. However, this embodiment has the added advantage of placing greater rigidity to the area in vicinity of the firing pin assembly area by employing the means 20.

It is to be understood that the cylindrical body 4 is fixedl secured to the right angle bolt 22, as by screwing, press fitting, or welding.

FIGURE 6 illustrates the final assembled munition with the various parts as described in FIGURES 1 and 2 with the added parts of the hollow container 24 and the payload or fill 26.

In FIGURE 7 is the side elevation view of FIGURE 6, exposing the interior of the fuze head with the safety lever 2 removed for the only purpose of illustrating the various parts in their locked safety position. The safety device comprises a cylindrical body 4 slidably mounted through the interior section of the striker spring 14 which is in alinement with the means on each side of the fuze head 6 to receive the cylindrical body 4. A locking lip 8 is mounted on the far side of cylindrical body means for receiving the cotter pin, and is contiguous with the upper surface of the safety lever 2 as is illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 6. The locking lip 8 is adapted to engage a portion of the safety lever, and thereby limiting the necessary travel for the locking lip to be disengaged from the safety lever as shown in FIGURE 8. The cotter pin 12 with its attached pull ring 10 is mounted through the cylindrical body 4 to inhibit the latters forward movement. Although the cotter pin 12 is still employed, its main function is now radically different from its use in the prior art arming system which was once removed the munition must be consumed. In the instant invention, the cotter pin, upon withdrawal, does not necessitate the required use of the munition.

FIGURE 8 illustrates the position of the locking lip 8 necessary for arming the munition exposing the interior of the fuze head with the safety lever removed for the only purpose of showing the various parts in their locked position. To free the safety lever 2 and thereby put the grenade in a condition to be instantaneously detonated, the slidable cylindrical bod 4 as shown in FIGURE 7 is pressed back into the transverse hollow center of spring 14 until the locking lip 8 is no longer contiguous with the said safety lever against the grenade body and now the hurler has a choice to make. He can now set the final stage for detonation by throwing the munition or by the simple motion of repressing upon the right angle bolt 22 to reinstate the position of the cylindrical body 4 as shown in FIGURES 2, 3, 6 and 7.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that the munition with our safety arming devices are simple in construction and inexpensive to manufacture. It is not only absolutely reliable in operation but in comparison with the previous known forms of safety arming devices, it is now no longer mandatory for the soldier to consume the munition. For the first time, the soldier has the ability to unarm the munition after it has been armed, without its required utilization.

We claim:

1. A device for arming an ordnance weapon which comprises: a tubular fuze body, a primer means in said body, a spring loaded firing pin movable relative to said body and said primer means, externally disposed releasable means for holding said firing pin in retracted position from said primer, said firing pin movably mounted in the said fuze body between an armed and unarmed position by the energy stored in said spring, a delay element and detonator adjacent to said primer in the said fuze body, said fuze body having receiving holes in alinement with said spring, a second safe arming device, a cylindrical member, adapted to receive a first safe arming device thus inhibiting the second devices reciprocal sliding movement through the said receiving holes and said spring, said first safe arming device and said second safe arming device operable serially to said first arming device, whereby the weapon is armed only when both safe arming devices are in proper relation.

2. In the structure of claim 1, wherein the said first arming device consists of a cotter pin with attached pull ring mounted near the end of the said cylindrical body and said second safe arming device comprises a right angle bolt with an overhanging locking lip fastened at the end of the slidable cylindrical body diametrically positioned from the said first arming device, whereby the device is in an unarmed state.

3. In the structure of claim '2, wherein the said overhanging locking lip is in frictional contact with the said externally disposed releasable means.

4. In the structure of claim 2, wherein the said second safe arming device comprises a right angle bolt with an overhanging locking lip with an extension means bent out; wardly and downwardly from the general plane of the said locking lip fastened at the end of the slidable cylindrical body diametrically positioned from the said first arming device.

5. In the structure of claim 4, wherein the said overhanging locking lip with said extension means is in frictional contact with said externally disposed releasable means.

6. In the structure of claim 3, wherein a safety lever is separably mounted on said fuze body and wherein the said cotter pin with said attached pull ring is removed and the said locking lip is withdrawn from frictional contact with the safety lever which has separated from the fuze body, whereby the fuze is in an armed state.

7. In the structure of claim 5, wherein a safety lever is separably mounted on said fuze body and wherein the said first arming device with said cotter pin is removed and said overhanging locking lip with said extension means is withdrawn from functional contact with the safety lever which has separated from the fuze body, whereby the fuze is in an armed state.

8. A munition comprising: a hollow shaped body having an opening in the upper end, a tubular fuze body mounted within the said shaped body and in sealing relationship with said opening and extending a predetermined axial distance within the said shaped body and adapted to receive primer means, a spring loaded firing pin movable relative to said fuze body and said primer means, externally disposed releasable means for holding said firing pin in retracted position from said primer, said firing pin movably mounted in the said fuze body between an armed and unarmed position by the energy stored in said spring, a delay element and detonator adjacent to said primer in said fuze body, said fuze body having receiving holes in alinement with said spring, a second safe arming device, a cylindrical member, adapted to receive a first safe arming device thus inhibiting the second devices reciprocal sliding movement through said receiving holes and said spring, said first safe arming device and said second safe arming device operable serially to said first arming device, whereby the munition is armed only when both safe arming devices are in proper relation, a filler being axially positioned between the inner surface of the shaped body and the exterior surface of the said fuze body.

9. In the structure of claim 8, wherein the said first arming device consists of a cotter pin with attached pull ring mounted near the end of the said cylindrical body and said second safe arming device comprises a right angle bolt with an overhanging locking lip fastened at the end of the slidable cylindrical body diametrically positioned from the said first arming device, whereby the device is in an unarmed state.

10. In the structure of claim 9, wherein the said overhanging locking lip is in frictional contact with the said externally disposed releasable means.

11. In the structure of claim 10, wherein a safety lever is separably mounted on said fuze body and wherein the said cotter pin with said attached pull ring is removed and the said overhanging locking lip is withdrawn from frictional contact with the safety lever which has separated from the fuze body, whereby the fuze is in an armed state.

12. In the structure of claim 9, wherein a safety lever is separably mounted on said fuze body and wherein the said second safe arming device comprises a right angle bolt with an overhanging locking lip with an extension means bent outwardly and downwardly from the general plane of the said locking lip fastened at the end of the slidable cylindrical body diametrically positioned from the said first arming device.

13. In the structure of claim 12, wherein the said overhanging locking lip with said extension means is in frictional contact with said externally disposed releasable means.

14. In the structure of claim 13, wherein a safety lever is separably mounted on said fuze body and wherein the said first arming device with said cotter pin is removed and said second arming device with said right angle bolt with said overhanging locking lip with said extension means withdrawn from frictional contact with the safety lever which has separated from the fuze body, whereby the fuze is in an armed state.

15. In the structure of claim 8, wherein the said filler comprises an explosive.

16. In the structure of claim 8, wherein the said filler comprises a chemical.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,203,640 6/1940 Hines et al 102-64X 3,081,702 3/ 1963 Klostermann et al. 102-64X 2,437,001 3/1948 Petersen 10285.6'X 2,501,766 3/1950 Fieser et al 102-65 FOREIGN PATENTS 130,421 8/ 1919 Great Britain.

BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner. GERALD H. GLANZMAN, Assistant Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 102-70 

